window.googletag.pubads().addEventListener('slotRenderEnded', function(event) { They were released on Aug. 19, 2011. ga('ads.send', { eventAction: 'view' At the trial, the prosecution continued the claims of Satanic overtones, calling Dale W. Griffis of the unaccredited Columbia Pacific University distance learning school as an "expert" witness to affirm the killings were definitely occult related. WebThe West Memphis Three are three men convicted as teenagers in 1994 of the 1993 murders of three boys in West Memphis, Arkansas, United States. Misskelley was interrogated for 12 hours, of which less than an hour were recorded. However, during his time at the station, Aaron mentioned that his three friends had been killed at "the playhouse.". An attorney involved in the West Memphis Three case, in which three teenagers were convicted of killing three boys in 1993, is claiming that evidence related to the case that was believed to be lost or destroyed has been located at the West Memphis Police Department, local CBS affiliate WREG reported.Attorney Patrick Benca, who represents The following morning, May 6, a far more thorough search throughout West Memphis began, Crittenden County Search and Rescue personnel leading the effort, including the use of a helicopter. Taylor's presence suggests that at 4:30 p.m., Branch and Moore had not yet found their friend Byers. Into this misunderstanding step Damien Echols, 18, Jessie Misskelley Jr., 17, and Jason Baldwin, 16. ga('ads.send', { Their clothing was found tied to sticks implanted into the creek bed, with two pairs of underwear missing. Jul. With John Mark Byers ruled out, revelations in 2007 would point in a new direction equally close to home. They still had the convictions, but the men would be free. The plea deal was accepted. Motivations For Investigating The West Memphis Case, Timeline Of The West Memphis Three Victims. The West Memphis Three are Damien Echols, Jason Baldwin, and Jessie Misskelley Jr., whoas teenagerswere convicted in 1994 of triple murder in West Memphis (Crittenden County). For the state, the Alford pleas were a face-saving exercise. He had an extensive collection of animal skulls, including dogs and cats and local rumors said that he had killed a dog, while no evidence was ever provided. He showed several old scars from prior injuries. If they thought they could trust the person who was the actual threat, then that person could get close enough to them to control them so that they couldn't run away," he told Ruff. While they showed the bravado and sense of adventure associated with many scouts, they were still innocent, with Byers said by his mother to still "[believe] in the Easter Bunny and Santa Claus.". Notifications can be turned off anytime from browser settings. The inherent belief in that line of thought eventually led to the arrest of 18-year-old Damien Echols, 17-year-old Jessie Misskelley Jr., and 16-year-old Jason Baldwin, three out-of-sorts teens who became popularly known as "The West Memphis Three.". The belief in a Satanic aspect to the crime was aided by Vicki Hutcheson and her son, when after discovering the bodies, Aaron claimed he'd witnessed the killings. Both men were increasingly concerned about the potential for human sacrifices when it was a full moon. It is easy for many to look at the South as hillbilly central, full of prejudice and backward attitudes, with somewhat elitist attitudes often prevalent when discussing the case. The elder Byers admitted he whipped Christopher with a belt shortly before he went missing. Starting in the weeks that followed the killings, documentary filmmakers Joe Berlinger and Bruce Sinofsky began to investigate the circumstances surrounding the case for their film "Paradise Lost: The Child Murders at Robin Hood Hills," airing in June 1996 on HBO. Echols, Baldwin, and Misskelley were accused of killing three eight-year-old boys: Chris Byers, Stevie Branch, and Michael Moore. People may receive compensation for some links to products and services on this website. "I think maybe for the general public it's not quite as scary to believe that blood-thirsty Satanists were out murdering children as it is to believe that parents are actually murdering their own children. Then, after determining the boys final movements, Bob meets with a DNA expert to discuss new technology that might break the case wide open. Watch: Man connected to 'West Memphis Three' learns evidence connected to the case is missing By Dominique Dillon, FOX13memphis.com July 08, 2021 at 5:53 pm CDT WEST MEMPHIS, Ark. MEAWW is an initialism for Media Entertainment Arts WorldWide. So, this tells me that this offender was someone they know," Clemente said. His prior history of domestic violence didn't reflect well either. ET. Entering a plea of not guilty, Richard Ofshe testified that Misskelley's confession had been a "classic example" of police coercion. }); However, the day afterward, Hutcheson would tell police that she, Echols and Misskelley had all attended a Wicca meeting in Turrell, Arkansas, where Echols became drunk and started to loudly brag about having committed the killings of Branch, Byers and Moore. All three were convicted, not based on evidence but by a "twisted portrayal of their character", given sentences varying from death to life in prison, and then eventually exonerated following the advent of improved DNA technology. Due to marital problems stemming from Stevies death, the couple divorced in 2004, reported CNN. Notifications can be turned off anytime in the browser settings. VEGA, Texas (KFDA) - Two people were killed and two others were injured after a three-vehicle crash on Interstate 40 west of Vega. They wanted to overwhelm us, convict us, condemn us and sweep us under the rug.". While he was on medication that may have affected the outcome, including Xanax, it seems that his suspected involvement in the killings was a complete dead end. Then, perhaps, the punishment went too far, and it resulted in the triple homicide. Yet, it is a giant leap toward murder. Echols, one of the West Memphis Three, and his legal team have hit another obstacle as they try to get the court's permission to test newly found evidence for DNA. While the three, better known as the West Memphis Three, entered an Alford plea and are therefore not innocent in the eyes of the law, DNA evidence suggests someone else is responsible for the 1993 murders of James Michael Moore, Stephen Branch, and Christopher Byers. From the murder of Shanda Sharer to the Columbine massacre, there was little that wasn't blamed on this new devilish culture. All three were charged and accused of committing a Satanic murder. Writing in his future memoir, "Life After Death," Echols would say, "Down here in the deep, dark South we know and live with the real world. John Mark Byers, stepfather of Chris Byers and initially the subject of considerable suspicion himself, is shown calling Terry Hobbs a "baby killer" outside an Arkansas courtroom. Autopsies revealed that Byers died of multiple injuries, while the other two boys died of multiple injuries with drowning. Damien Echols was sentenced to death, Jessie Misskelley Jr. to life imprisonment plus two 20-year sentences, and Jason Baldwin to life imprisonment. During one visit to the station, officers used photographs of Echols, Misskelley and Baldwin for dart practice, having made their minds up about their guilt long before their arrests. ga('ads.send', { media-tech companies with hubs around the world. 1:53 Digital Original Motivations For Investigating The West Memphis Case 1:05 Preview The discovery comes after West Memphis Police Chief Michael Pope resigned Tuesday. Jessie Misskelley was given two 20 year-sentences on top of life imprisonment, while Jason Baldwin also received life imprisonment. Yet, while Arkansas certainly has problems seen throughout the South, such as poor wages, West Memphis was then a city of 30,000 with a wide variety of cultures. hitType: 'event', When West Memphis teens Damien Echols, Jason Baldwin, and Jessie Misskelley Jr. were tried and convicted of the murders of three 8-year-old boys in 1994, many in the community felt confident that investigators had put the right men behind bars. But in 2011, the West Memphis Three walked free. Never mentioned in the autopsy or at either trial, they didn't match for Echols, Misskelley or Baldwin. ADVERTISEMENT All three boys were naked and hogtied using their shoelaces, each ankle tied with a wrist behind their backs. hitType: 'event', Yet Misskelley kept talking, confessing again on Feb. 4. "We have no vested interest in trying to withhold any evidence from anyone on either side. In statements under oath, the three witnesses say that Michael Hobbs told them, "My uncle killed three boys in West Memphis." When three boys turn up murdered, a small town is desperate to find the killer. The use of shoelaces had yet to be revealed to the public, yet Martin was eventually cleared of any involvement. window.googletag.pubads().addEventListener('slotOnload', function(event) { YoutubeMugshots of the West Memphis Three. Toggle dark mode Aaron was restless, and Bray was unable to properly administer the polygraph. Stevie Branch, Christopher Byers and Michael Moore. "Chief Pope's resignation is completely unrelated to the West Memphis three rumors being sent out on social media," the statement reads. Their trial, which included After 3 years of fighting to get new evidence tested for DNA, the state says the WM3 petition should be tossed out and now, the attorneys are responding in court. One individual on the police radar was convicted pedophile James K. Martin. The assailant is also prone to violent outbursts, likely has a history of domestic violence, and places a high importance on punishment. window.googletag.cmd.push(function() { document.querySelector("#adunit").addEventListener('click',function(){ Ultimately, the judge will make a final ruling on whether to proceed. Curiously, most of the injuries suffered by Byers were to the lower body, whereas the damage inflicted on Branch and Moore was primarily to the upper body. Classmates at Weaver Elementary School, the three were active in their Cub Scout troop and responsible enough to be trusted to roam their neighborhood without WebSeason 1 Episode 1 Preview: Host and investigator Bob Ruff explores the flaws from the original ""West Memphis Three"" case to lay the groundwork for his evidence-driven investigation. Baldwin meanwhile has ambitions to become a lawyer and began work for a construction company, with Misskelley getting engaged to his high school girlfriend and training as a mechanic. MEMPHIS, Tenn. (AP) A former Memphis Fire Department emergency medical technician told a Tennessee board Friday that officers impeded patient care by refusing to remove Tyre Nichols ' handcuffs, which would have allowed EMTs to check his vital signs after he was brutally beaten by police. Adding that his client was "a mentally handicapped person who is quite suggestible. Having once been adamant on the West Memphis Three's guilt, he accepted their innocence and, instead, pointed the finger at Terry Hobbs, Steve's stepfather. WebThe West Memphis Three were the first people in West Memphis, Arkansas who were accused of murdering the three young boys. All three spent most of their days as any other mid-1990s teenagers - listening to rock music, watching pro wrestling on television, and either poking around under the hood of a car or simply hanging out and causing trouble. The following afternoon, the bodies of Steve Branch, Michael Moore, and Christopher Byers were found by a muddy ditch. Clemente noted there was no indication, forensically, that theres more than one offender involved because what happened to each of the victims was consistent. Soon after, witness, Narlene Hollingsworth, reported she saw three boys riding bikes, almost hitting one when he rode out in front of her car. If they thought they could trust the person who was the actual threat, then that person could get close enough to them to control them so that they couldn't run away," retired FBI Supervisory Agent Jim Clemente saysin "The Forgotten West Memphis Three.". No semen was found at the scene, and there was no evidence of molestation. On one occasion after the killings at Robin Hood Hills, he had beaten Pamela so severely that she told the family that she thought her jaw was broken, prompting them to drive to the Hobbs home to confront him. She was unable to say where this meeting was or who else was present. To this day, it is still unclear who is responsible for the brutal murders, and in hopes of uncovering new potential leads, investigative podcaster Bob Ruff reexamined the case in . Misskelley was found guilty of one count of first-degree murder and two counts of second-degree murder. A few years later, he was facing charges relating to the use of terroristic threats, grand theft, and drug use. He was interrogated for 12 hours with only two segments running to 46 minutes being recorded, and although he was read his Miranda rights, he later said that he hadn't understood them. Byers submitted dental records that showed the marks on the body didn't match his original teeth and subsequently passed a polygraph during the documentary's filming. Clemente pointed out that the killer took his time to conceal the boys' bodies, clothing, and bikes. It took them 18 years to clear their names. This was a result of getting enraged, going too far, and then having to basically clean up the mess," he said. If the offender came across the boys as they were doing something wrong or misbehaving, it would have been even easier to control and reprimand them, said Clemente. 'West Memphis Three' case: John Byers, suspect and stepfather of one of the slain boys, dies in car crash. In 1994, in what was widely believed to be a miscarriage of justice, three teens, 18-year-old Damien Echols, 17-year-old Jessie Misskelley Jr., and 16-year-old Jason Baldwin, were convicted in connection to the deaths of Christopher Byers, Michael Moore, and Steve Branch the previous year. Copyright 2023 Empire Media Group, Inc. Front Page Detectives is a registered trademark. Echols was from a poor background and struggled both with poverty and his mental health, having been institutionalized for several months after considering suicide. He was 62. No ritual paraphernalia or markings were found at the scene, and many in the police believed those responsible had been sexual predators or strangers from outside the town. }); ga('create', 'UA-67136960-15', 'auto', 'ads'); He tried to fight back and showed defensive injuries. When investigators found the boys bodies on May 6, 1993, they had been jammed into the muddy ground of the bayou, and their clothes had been submerged in the water with sticks. There are significant issues with the confession, with his claims not aligning with the autopsy and crime scene evidence, seemingly changing his story depending on who he was talking with. To understand the story of the West Memphis Three, it's important to remember the cultural atmosphere that was prevalent throughout America in the mid-1990s. However, the matter was sent to appeal, and Burnett was elected to the Arkansas State Senate, with his replacement being David Laser. Working at the crime scene, police made a series of errors that would significantly impede the case. All three bodies were immediately removed from the water before the coroner arrived, meaning that they were exposed to sunlight and insects before judgments could be made surrounding rigor mortis and the time of death. Stevie Branch, Michael Moore and Christopher Byers were only 8 years old when they viciously murdered in 1993. While the three, better known as the West Memphis Three, entered an Alford plea and are therefore not innocent in the eyes of the law, DNA evidence suggests someone else is responsible for the 1993 murders of James Michael Moore, Stephen Branch, and Christopher Byers. While the stepfather initially denied it had ever been used, he later changed his story and said he had used it just once, to cut deer meat. Toggle dark mode However, Misskelley wouldn't only confess in that police interview room. Sometimes justice is neither pretty, nor is it perfect, but it was important to take this opportunity to be free.". Increasingly alarmed, searchers saw a black shoe floating in a muddy creek that afternoon. Initially a suspect himself amongst some people, John Mark Byers added his voice to those doubts before being killed in a car crash last year. The boys were naked and tied up by their shoelaces. Meanwhile, Byers himself had a long history of drug use and violent criminal behavior, including domestic violence and threats to kill. Echols and Baldwin were best friends and shared a profound distaste for Bible Belt life in West Memphis, Arkansas and were drawn toward the rebellion of metal music and associated books and movies. One of those people would be Pamela Hobbs. Steve Edward Branch, Christopher Byers and Michael Moore were all good kids. WebWest Memphis Three, three American men who in 1994, while teenagers, were found guilty of murdering three young boys in West Memphis, Arkansas, allegedly as part of devil worship. Devastating Photos Of Hiroshima Before And After The Atomic Bombing That Changed History Forever, Jury Finds Man Guilty Of Teaching Pug Nazi Salute [VIDEO], What Stephen Hawking Thinks Threatens Humankind The Most, 27 Raw Images Of When Punk Ruled New York, Join The All That's Interesting Weekly Dispatch, black Americans are wrongfully convicted at a far greater rate, woman who was convicted for locking her deaf sister in a room for seven years. eventCategory: event.slot.getSlotElementId(), Equally, Pamela's sister Jo Lynn McCaughey saw Hobbs washing clothes, bed linens, and curtains from Steve's room around the time of the killings. } The men garnered national attention due to a series of documentaries and books that questioned their convictions as well as the vocal support of numerous celebrities. Prosecutors in the case argued that Echols, Baldwin and Misskelley had killed three boys the prior year as part of Satanic rituals. Toggle dark mode eventCategory: event.slot.getSlotElementId(), But it seemed the story for the West Memphis Three was over. Echols, by most accounts, didn't even consider himself one. While his repeated confessions may seem incriminating, Lawyer Dan Stidman would say in a 1999 letter to the court that "Absolutely nothing Misskelley told the officers or prosecutors would ever be admissible against him. I believe there was an incident of over-disciplining one of the boys. His behavior as it became apparent Echols, Misskelley, and Baldwin would be cleared of the murders, was questioned as well. }) Yet, the moral panic would culturally define the decade for many youths, lingering as the remnants of the "Satanic Panic" that led to many wrongful convictions a decade earlier. Despite the defense stating that Echols' statements on Byers genitals and the boys being drowned could have been public knowledge locally, particularly considering known leaks had been made, both Echols and Baldwin were found guilty on three counts of murder. That changed on May 5, 1993, when three second-grade boys were reported missing. Local community members also rallied in support of the three, believing that their initial trial was unfair and handled incorrectly. The blade had blood on the hinge, and HBO ordered Berlinger and Sinofsky to hand the knife to West Memphis police. Steve had taken this knife everywhere and was never without it, with Pamela believing the killer had stolen it when it wasn't found at the scene. They allowed police and other workers to walk through the creek, trampling possible evidence such as footprints, and equally failed to drain the water quickly to preserve other evidence. Standing 6-feet-5-inches tall and weighing 238 pounds, Byers was an imposing and threatening presence. As the rumors increased throughout the community, a Salem-like air descended as names continued to be associated with the alleged cult. They were 17, 16, and 18 years old respectively. But in the process, the West Memphis Three get blamed for the crime they didn't commit. It took 18 years, a deep probe into the criminal justice system, and the rallying of a The police contended the tapes couldn't confirm this, with interference masking conversations. Echols filed a petition, which was not granted, but then the decision was overturned by the Arkansas Supreme Court. They drew pentagrams, skulls, and snakes on art materials and surprised those at a football game by arriving dressed in black with black tears painted on their faces. This is where the calluses on a man's hand are bigger than his conscience, and dreams get drowned in sweat and tears.". He explained that the particular petition they filed is not up for interpretation and ultimately is not within their rights. During the filming, cameraman Doug Cooper would be given a folding hunting knife by John Mark Byers, Christopher Byers' stepfather. There were even witnesses who placed Misskelley at his trailer until 6:30 p.m., the time the boys went missing, with one revealing he picked him up to go wrestling around 7:30 p.m. }); Based on the new information, the three men asked for an Alford plea, in which the defendant maintains their innocence, but acknowledge that prosecutors have evidence to convict them. 31 2021, Published 3:16 p.m. When West Memphis teens Damien Echols, Jason Baldwin, and Jessie Misskelley Jr. were tried and convicted of the murders of three 8-year-old boys in 1994, many in the community felt confident that investigators had put the right men behind bars. Who Is The Real Killer Behind The 'West Memphis Three' Murders? The chief of police was not truthful. Baldwin got life behind bars, and Echols was sentenced to death by lethal injection. A polygraph indicated some level of deception in his statements to police, yet it should be noted that a heart condition may have affected the results. Sign up forOxygen Insiderfor all the best true crime content. Classmates at Weaver Elementary School, the three were active in their Cub Scout troop and responsible enough to be trusted to roam their neighborhood without The first of that evidence emerged during the filming of HBO's 1996 documentary on the case: 'Paradise Lost: The Child Murders at Robin Hood Hills.'. When they didn't, the first phone call would be made to police not long afterward, John Mark Byers raising the alarm with police close to 8 p.m. It was just days before the trial of Echols and Baldwin. To this day, it is still unclear who is responsible for the brutal murders, and in hopes of uncovering new potential leads, investigative podcaster Bob Ruff reexamined the case in The Forgotten West Memphis Three, streaming now on Oxygen.
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